Values Cards

Clarify what really matters with 80 research-based cards across nine value categories from Schwartz's model.

Quick Facts

80 values cards in nine motivational categories, based on Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values (validated across 82 countries).
Card anatomy: VALUE in capitals, an icon, a definition, and a category color for quick pattern-spotting.
Values are durable, global and desirable — the HOW ("being loving"), not the WHAT ("getting married").
Session arc: select what resonates → explore in real situations → rank a top 3–5 → align daily actions.
Opposing top values (security vs. adventure) often mark the client's core dilemma — tension is data, not a problem.

The values cards help clients sort, rank and discuss what really matters — all on one shared board. A typical session follows a simple arc:

1Select what resonates

2Explore in real situations

3Rank a top 3–5

4Align daily actions

How to use this tool

Open the values cards tool

When what-really-matters questions surface, open the values cards using the Word Cards tool. All 80 research-based values cards are instantly available, organized by Schwartz's value categories.

Client browses and selects values

Your client moves through all 80 cards at their own pace, filtering by category or viewing all. Notice which cards spark immediate reactions — positive or negative; those reactions are valuable data. Values that resonate are selected with a click and highlighted.

Facilitate values ranking

Selected cards appear on your shared whiteboard. Guide your client toward a top 3–5: clustering similar values reveals patterns, and the spatial arrangement can become a visual hierarchy with the most important values at the center. Don't rush the hard choices — the difficulty of choosing between "freedom" and "security" often reveals the important inner tensions.

Connect values to real life

The real work starts when abstract values meet everyday reality. Use annotation tools to explore where each value shows up in your client's life — and where it is missing. The gap between stated values and lived reality becomes visible and actionable.

Strong guiding questions for each phase: opening — "Which of these values make you think 'Yes, that's me' — and which are a clear 'No'?"; deepening — "Tell me about a recent decision where this value played a role."; prioritizing — "If you could only honor one of these values in your next big decision, which would it be?" And remember: values work is never finished. What mattered at 25 may differ at 45, so regular values check-ins help clients stay aligned with who they are becoming.

Card anatomy

Every card carries the same cues, so a client can spot patterns across a selection before naming them.

A values card: a shield icon and the word Privacy — A single values card

Value word
The value named in capitals — the vocabulary the client reaches for when saying what matters.
Icon
A quick visual anchor that makes the card recognizable at a glance.
Category color
Each card carries the color of its motivational category, so patterns across a client's picks become visible on the board.

The nine value categories

Schwartz discovered that human values are not random: they form a circular structure in which adjacent values are compatible and opposing values conflict, organized along two axes — Openness to Change ↔ Conservation and Self-Transcendence ↔ Self-Enhancement. The 80 cards carry a category color so these patterns become visible on the board.

Openness to Change

Stimulation (novelty, excitement, sensory engagement) and Self-Direction (autonomy, personal agency, the freedom to explore). Both share orange tones but differ: Stimulation is fueled by excitement, Self-Direction by freedom and authenticity.

Self-Transcendence

Universalism (a global outlook and concern for the greater good: fairness, equality, the environment) and Benevolence (nurturing, kindness, strong relationships, empathy and compassion).

Self-Enhancement

Pleasure (joy, comfort, savoring life), Achievement (the drive to succeed, reach goals and be effective) and Power (influence, leadership, social standing).

Conservation

Security (stability, continuity and safety, personal and societal) and Conformity (social cohesion and adherence to shared rules and traditions).

If a client selects mostly from one side of the circle, that reveals something. If their top values sit on opposite sides, that inner tension might be exactly what brought them into coaching.

Psychological grounding

Values can be characterized by three qualities: they are durable (describing how we behave continuously over the long term), global (they represent the HOW — fairness in soccer — not the WHAT, the interest in soccer itself) and desirable (they describe how we want to behave; we choose our values). There is no universal right or wrong — each person carries a unique set that varies in importance and can shift with the situation.

According to Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values, values serve three roles in human life: they address the needs of individuals (guiding choices that bring fulfillment and purpose), they are essential for getting along with others (a framework for cooperation, empathy and common ground), and they support the survival and safety of groups (shared values underpin decision-making, norms and belonging). The theory has been validated across 82 countries and more than 60,000 participants — one of the most robust frameworks in cross-cultural psychology.

Goals are the WHAT; values are the HOW

Goals live in the future and can be checked off ("getting married"); values are always available in the here and now ("being loving") — we can act on them or neglect them, but never complete them. Goals give clients something to aim for; values keep them grounded and make the journey itself meaningful.

For coaching, the distinction between a goal-driven and a value-focused life is especially useful. Deep reflection on core values provides the foundation for setting goals that reflect who the client truly is.